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The pattern of endocranial ontogenetic shape changes in humans
Simon Neubauer1, Philipp Gunz, Jean-Jacques Hublin
1Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. simon.neubauer@eva.mpg.de
Journal of Anatomy
|June 18, 2009
Summary
Human brain growth is unique. Geometric morphometrics reveal a curvilinear endocranial ontogeny with three phases, driven by modular development of the cranial base, not just size increase.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Developmental Biology
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Human brain growth exhibits unique patterns compared to other primates.
- Understanding human brain development is crucial for evolutionary studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe shape changes in the human endocranium during postnatal development using geometric morphometrics.
- To investigate the relationship between endocranial shape change, size increase, and modular development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized CT scans of 108 human crania from newborns to adults.
- Applied geometric morphometric methods with numerous landmarks and semi-landmarks to virtual endocasts.
- Analyzed the ontogenetic trajectory of the endocranial vault and base separately.
Main Results:
- The endocranial ontogenetic trajectory is curvilinear with two bends, defining three distinct phases of shape change.
- Endocranial shape changes occur even after adult size is reached, indicating factors beyond simple size increase.
- The endocranial vault shows a nearly linear trajectory, suggesting it functions as a single developmental module.
- The endocranial base exhibits a curved trajectory, implying multiple submodules with distinct growth patterns.
Conclusions:
- Human endocranial shape development is not solely driven by brain size increase.
- The endocranial vault develops as a unified module, while the cranial base comprises multiple, independently developing submodules.
- This modular development explains the complex, curvilinear ontogenetic trajectory of the human endocranium.
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